MARTINEZ — Human trafficking, kidnapping and pimping charges were dropped against a Pennsylvania man who authorities at one point believed had trafficked a woman across the country.

Dennis Shafe, 32, had been facing a lengthy prison stay back in January, when county prosecutors charged him with forcing a young woman into prostitution. He adamantly denied the charges.

At the time of his arrest, Shafe said the alleged victim, a young woman referred to in court records as “Jane Doe,” was a family friend who had called him for help because she was in a bad situation. He told them he knew her parents and “would never do anything to hurt her,” according to court records obtained by this newspaper Tuesday.

Investigators initially did not believe him, and found a pistol and drugs in his car. But as they looked into the case, the human trafficking allegations against him fell apart, a Contra Costa County District Attorney spokesman said.

“Further interviews with the victim and electronic records confirmed that the defendant was not involved in trafficking the victim as was initially described to law enforcement,” district attorney spokesman Scott Alonso said in an email to this newspaper. “We do believe the victim was a victim of human trafficking, just not by this defendant during this period of time.”

Shafe ended up pleading no contest to gun and methamphetamine possession charges and receiving 180 days in jail with about two months credit for time served. The deal was completed in February, the same day he was scheduled to have a preliminary hearing.

Shafe was arrested Jan. 4 at a Quality Inn on 3999 Alhambra Ave. in Martinez. Doe later told police that he had forced her into prostitution, threatened her with a gun, given her meth and created online ads to solicit her around the country, and that she had been trafficked as early as age 16.

Investigators later determined another person, not Shafe, had done all of those things in a jurisdiction outside of California.

This marks the second time in three years that Shafe faced decades in prison and was able to beat the case. In 2015, prosecutors in Pennsylvania charged him with attempted homicide for allegedly firing a shot while he and accomplices robbed hotel guests. But a year later, the charges were dismissed, according to court records.

With lower home prices, more Californians could afford a home purchase in the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to the previous quarter, but the California Association of Realtors reports higher interest rates lowered affordability from the previous year for most counties.